This Blog Has A New Home at WordPress

I have decided to export this blog and two others to one WordPress blog. I'll keep this blog on Blogger and feed it into WordPress for the next month and then remove it from Blogger so please start to make this transition as soon as you feel ready.

Thanks so much for your interest and your continued support.

The new site: http://hayencompany.wordpress.com

My Company Web site is: http://www.hayencompany.com

My Company Blog is: http://hayencompany.blogspot.com

UStream with Hayen Company - Best Websites for FREE STUFF

How to Reach Baby Boomers with Social Media - ReadWriteWeb

A new report from Forrester Research revealed some surprising information: apparently Baby Boomers aren't exactly the technology Luddites that people think they are. In fact, more than 60 ...

http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/how_to_reach_baby_boomers_with_social_media.php

Blogs.com - O'Reilly Tools of Change 2009: It's All About You

Interesting

Free BlackBerry Wallpaper

FREE User-Contributed BlackBerry Wallpaper Gallery! To browse for wallpapers, simply choose the wallpaper format that is compatible with your BlackBerry from the options. Don't see the wallpaper you are looking for? You can create your own wallpapers using CrackBerry.com's Wallpaper Maker. Once you create your custom blackberry wallpaper you can share it with the CrackBerry community by adding it to this gallery. Enjoy!

http://crackberry.com/free-wallpapers

Technology is Great, but Are We Forgetting to Live?

Written by Sarah Perez / January 22, 2009 7:30 AM

Imagine you're at a concert where your favorite band is playing for the last time. Or you're watching President Obama get sworn into office. Or maybe you're just sitting around with your family under the Christmas tree watching your children open gifts. What are you doing in all those scenarios? If you're like most people today, you're probably recording it with some sort of technological gadgetry, be it a smartphone, digital camera, or camcorder. You might also be sharing the moment with others across the web via Twitter, Facebook, or FriendFeed.

Read More by visiting the author's webpage: http://www.readwriteweb.com/about_sarah.php

8 Mobile Technologies to Watch in 2009, 2010

Written by Sarah Perez / January 29, 2009 7:52 AM

Analyst firm Gartner has just released a report that highlights eight up-and-coming mobile technologies which they predict will impact the mobile industry over the course of the next two years. According to Nick Jones, vice president and analyst at the firm, the technologies they've identified will evolve quickly and will likely pose issues that will have to be addressed by short term strategies.

To read about the eight technologies identified, visit the author's site: http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/eight_mobile_technologies_to_watch.php

Bluetooth 3.0
Mobile User Interfaces + Mobile Web/Widgets
Location Awareness

Near Field Communication (NFC)

802.11n & Cellular Broadband
Display Technologies

IBM Grand Slam Widget

Voki Avatar Is Too Cool

Get a Voki now!



Look at this thing!!! You can also click on the play button for an added treat especially from me.

25 Great Blogger Widgets

January 26, 2009 - 9:22 am PDT - by Sean P. Aune 27 Comments Many people think that Blogger lacks in all of the extra goodies you can add to other platforms like WordPress, but it simply isn’t true. By using widgets you can customize your blog as much as you like by just adding little snippets of code to the sidebars.

Allow users to talk to you via IM, see what your most popular posts are, or even read news from sites such as Mashable. With these 25 widgets, you can create an even more powerful way of communicating with your visitors, just make sure you don’t overload them with too many!

What are some of your favorite widgets for use on Blogger?

Twittermania: 140 + More Twitter Tools

This is a great site for useful resources..

http://mashable.com/2008/05/24/14-more-twitter-tools/

WTF??? Humping Bunnies USB device??

When Bazoo Toys first sent me the USB Humping Bunnies, I couldn't help but laugh at the sight of these cute USB gadgets doing their business to my laptop. Like the ever-popular USB Humping Dogs, these bunnies are surely strange, since all they do is, well, hump. Each Humping Bunny is both Mac and PC compatible and sells for $15 on UrbanOutfitters.com.

http://www.pcmag.com

A Bit Over The Top Don't You Think

Meowlingual and Bowlingual Pet Translators

Want to know what your pets really think about you? Well, I don't, but apparently some people do. Japan-based Takara Tomy has come out with two electric consoles, the Meowlingual and the Bowlingual (for cats and dogs, respectively), that translate all of your pet's deepest thoughts and feelings. Each device's technology slots a meow or bark into one of six standardized emotion categories (the categories differ between species) and then announces a humorous phrase to represent that emotion. For example, if your cat lets out a meow while you're lovingly petting it, Meowlingual will announce "I can’t stand it!" And all that time, you thought it liked being scratched behind the ears.

An English version of Bowlingual released in the United States with limited success, but Meowlingual never made it over. Unless your cat speaks Japanese (and you understand it), you probably won't want to fork out $75 plus overseas shipping for the device.

Article from:

Undoing the Damage of Compression

Turning music into MP3 files diminishes its sound quality by flattening out its dynamic range. But the IHome iP1 ($299, due out in May), an iPod dock boombox, seemingly restores your MP3 files to their original glory as it plays them. --Edward N. Albro

Article from:

New Breed of Web-Ready Video Phones

Two impressive touch-screen VoIP video phones that can also browse the Web and play back music, photos, and movie files debuted at this year's CES. We'll be watching (and hoping) for the U.S. launches of the iRiver Wave-Home (pictured) and the Google Android-powered Touch Revolution NIMble Home Phones, the latter developed by the product design leader responsible for the first iPhone's touch screen. --Danny Allen

Garmin Nuvifone

There isn't much to say about our hands-on time with the Garmin Nuvifone, since the prototype we saw wouldn't even power up. The phone is very thin, especially with other portable navigation devices in mind. It's also nice and sleek, a simple black obelisk, though we're more interested in the stylish UI we've seen in press photos than in the outer shell. For the inner workings, though, we'll have to take Garmin's word for it. The company admits that there is still a ways to go, but seems confident in a late 2008 launch. No carrier or retail plans have been finalized, but reps tell us to expect a GPS experience that far exceeds what we've seen so far on mobile phones. Release: March 2009.

Pros: Cool look, thin device. Much smaller than the PNDs it might replace.

Cons: Um, could somebody please get us a working model? This one doesn't turn on.

Article from:

Palm Pre next-gen smartphone

Of all the surprises surrounding the Palm Pre, the biggest may have been the network exclusivity scored by Sprint. The embattled network has always led the charge with new Palm devices, and we've had a great experience using our Palm Treos on Sprint's 3G network, so we weren't too concerned. In all, this could be a real coup for Sprint's EV-DO Rev. A service. Otherwise, the Palm Pre goes well beyond updating the stale Palm OS platform, and brings an entirely new interface and hardware paradigm in the form of the Palm WebOS. The WebOS is a jewel of a touchscreen interface, and it includes some interesting synchronization options to allow users to seamlessly navigate between corporate mail, personal e-mail on Google as well as social networking on Facebook. The Palm Pre hardware itself packs all the high-end features you'd expect from a modern smartphone, all in a slim, rounded design.

Article written and posted on:

CES 2009 preview: Cell phones and smartphones

Posted by Kent German
SEE ARTICLE HERE: http://ces.cnet.com/8300-19167_1-100.html?authorId=160

As the holidays approach, we're thinking about more than gift shopping and spiking the eggnog; we're thinking about CES, which looms soon after New Year's Day. Though cell phones tend to play a supporting role at CES, I guarantee that we'll see a few new handsets debuting. Of course, Apple always shuns the event for its own Macworld--it runs the same week as CES--but most of the major players will be in Sin City. Since most announcements are shrouded in secrecy until the show opens, we don't have anything firm to report just yet. But if we had a crystal ball, this is what we would see:

Touch-screen phones If there was a trend in 2008, it was touch-screen phones. Including the uberhyped iPhone, we saw a mass of touch models, particularly during the latter half of the year. They included smartphones like the Samsung Omnia and the LG Incite, but also mid-range phones like the Samsung Eternity and Behold. We suspect the touch-screen phenomenon will probably continue into the new year. We'll be hitting up all the major players at CES to see what they have up their sleeves, and you never know what might spring up.

Camera phones Though camera phones have taken a back seat to music phones over the last couple of years, they're now back with a vengeance. Recently, we reviewed three high-end camera phones: the 5-megapixel Motorola ZN5, the Sony Ericsson C902, and the 8-megapixel Samsung Innov8. Only the ZN5 landed at a U.S. carrier. It offers integrated Wi-Fi for easy photo uploading. We expect to see camera phones get even better in 2009; and CES will be the beginning. And don't worry, music fans, as you should see some new handsets, too. The Motorola Rokr E8 was born at CES last year and it won our Best of CES award in the cell phones category.

Messaging phones Messaging phones took off in a big way in late 2008. And when we say messaging phones, we're talking about handsets built for texting rather than complicated smartphones. Indeed, we saw eight such handsets this fall and we don't expect the trend to stop anytime soon. Look for more messaging phones at CES in a variety of styles.

Smartphones With the releases of the T-Mobile G1, RIM BlackBerry Storm, Sony Ericsson Xperia X1, and other notable devices, 2008 was a big year for smartphones, so can it possibly be outdone? Of course. While we don't expect to see too many new models at CES 2009, we're looking forward to getting some hands-on time with the hot Nokia N97 to find out if it's really worth all the buzz.

On the Android front, Sony Ericsson just announced that it will be coming out with Google Android smartphones in summer 2009. In Las Vegas, we'll be picking the company's brain to see what it has in mind. We'll also talk with HTC, which plans to have a whole portfolio of Android devices by summer. We also should see developments with the Android platform itself, including new applications and features.

Bluetooth headsets Due to the relatively recent hands-free driving laws sweeping the nation, we'll see even more Bluetooth accessories than ever. We'll see headsets of all shapes and sizes, and in-car speakerphones will take off, too. We also think stereo Bluetooth will be a standard in most, if not all, headsets.

Kodak delivers compact, rugged mini camcorder

Posted by Lori Grunin
ARTICLE PUBLISHER: http://ces.cnet.com/8300-19167_1-100.html?authorId=163

Showing it's serious about the mini camcorder market, Kodak rolls out a sibling model for its nice, but somewhat clunky, Zi6, the smaller and weather resistant (IP43 certified) Zx1. It's 30 percent smaller than the Zi6, but the trade-off is a smaller 2-inch LCD.

In many ways it's the same, however. It uses the same sensor, but a different image processor, to shoot its 60 frames per second 720p video, and also offers a VGA mode and still-capture mode. Kodak says it's tweaked the low-light performance, improved the exposure, and decreased lag time for stills. And good news: unlike the Zi6, the Zx1 lets you delete all, format the memory card, and turn off the sound. Those capabilities will be available in a firmware upgrade for the Zi6. Yay!

The Zx1 has a smaller LCD than the Zi6.(Credit: Kodak)

Unlike other HD models, the Kodak Xx1 supports HDMI and even bundles a cable. It lacks onboard memory, and the SD card is optional, though it ships with AA NiMH batteries and a charger. Unlike the Zi6, but as has become standard for the category, the software comes built into the device. It uses the same H.264 codec as the Zi6, so the files are Mac compatible, but the software isn't.

The Zx1 also comes in more colors than just the black and pink of the Zi6--it adds blue, red, and yellow. It's slated to ship in early April for $149.95.

LG reveals GD910 Watch Phone to be released this year

Posted by Nicole Lee
Article Published here: http://ces.cnet.com/8300-19167_1-100.html?authorId=170

We first saw the LG Watch Phone last year at CES 2008, but it was behind glass and no one was allowed to really see how it all worked. This year, however, LG plans to break it out of the display case. At the LG press conference a few minutes ago, they demonstrated a real working prototype of the watch phone and it looks to be a real must-have for the spy wannabe in your life. It has a touch-screen user interface (!), three side-mounted buttons, Bluetooth, a speakerphone, and even a full-blown music player. It's water resistant, and it'll feature 3G HSDPA, which leads us to think it may come to AT&T some time this year.

UPDATE: We've just got more details about the watch phone. It has tempered glass, a high-quality metal casing, and is around 13.9mm thick. The touch screen itself is 1.43 inches diagonally, and features LG's Flash interface. Features include voice recognition, Text to Speech so it can read out text messages, and stereo Bluetooth. However, the huge disappointment is that the watch phone will be Europe-only (insert sad face here). We think it may still be compatible with local GSM networks, but only time will tell (apologies for the bad pun).

UPDATE 2: More updates on the Watch Phone. LG has just told us that the Watch Phone will have quad-band GSM, and that the 3G/HSDPA will be compatible with AT&T's frequency. So even if it is Europe-only, you could potentially get one unlocked and use it here. We'll see if we can get more news about pricing and availability.

RCA unveils new budget HD minicamcorder, the EZ209HD

Posted by David Carnoy

Article published here: http://ces.cnet.com/8300-19167_1-100.html?authorId=146

In the minicamcorder market, last year RCA pretty much played second or third fiddle to Flip Video and Kodak, with Creative recently making a late charge. Well, RCA hopes to change all that with its new Small Wonder EZ209HD, which carries the bargain price of $120 and is due out sometime this spring.

This model is smaller and sleeker than previous Small Wonders, integrates a microSD card slot rather than an SD card slot (it accepts microSD cards up to 16GB), and retains a not-too-puny 2-inch LCD. Like the Creative Vado HD, the EZ209HD also incorporates an HDMI output so you can connect the camcorder directly to your HDTV to view your clips in their full glory.

Like competing mini-HD models, the EZ209HD records up to two hours of video on a single charge. It captures video at HD and SD resolutions at up to 60 frames per second. It also captures 8 megapixel still images, but like with all budget minicamcorders, both video and still quality don't measure up to what true HD camcorders and still cameras can produce. Still, this is an impressive price for these specs and should put some pressure on Flip Video to lower the price of its Mino HD. Of course, we'll have to wait to see if the video quality has improved along with the design of the camcorder.

The Sony P-series Lifestyle PC: Just don't call it a Netbook

Find article on publisher webpage: http://ces.cnet.com

Much like Apple, Sony likes to keep its Vaio products aimed at mid-to-high-end buyers and generally eschews the budget end of the market (although there are actually a handful of sub-$600 Vaios we've reviewed fairly favorably).

When it comes to Netbooks, it's no different; Sony's entry into the very hot minilaptop category shares a lot with Netbooks such as the Dell Mini 9 or Asus Eee PC, but clearly goes out of its way to avoid being lumped in with them.

The P-series Lifestyle PC is one of the smallest laptops we've seen; it is almost similar to a UMPC, but with a traditional clamshell laptop design. The widescreen 8-inch 1600x768 display and tiny keyboard make for a form factor that has roughly the same footprint as a standard white business envelope, and is less than 1-inch thick, weighing 1.4 pounds.

To fit a reasonably full-featured PC into a chassis this small, some sacrifices had to be made, and we're worried the lack of a standard touch pad (instead there's a ThinkPad-like pointing stick), will keep this new system from being as useful as it could be. It does, however, include a 3G mobile broadband antenna, 802.11n Wi-Fi, GPS, and Bluetooth, with mobile broadband service provided by Verizon.

Like several other laptops we've seen recently, there's a pre-Windows instant-on operating system, which uses the familiar Sony cross-media bar menu found on the PlayStation 3 and handheld PSP consoles. Once you boot into Windows, instead of the XP variety found on most Netbooks, it has Vista, although the 2GB of RAM (up to 4GB capacity) should help it run smoothly.

Sony told us it was planning on marketing this almost clutch-size laptop specifically to women, but we didn't take them seriously until we saw these lines in the official press release:

"Designed for the fashionista in all of us, it's the ideal companion..." "The spacing between keys has also been engineered to help reduce typing mistakes making it perfect for long fingernails."

The P-series Lifestyle PC will retail for about $900, and options include solid state (up to 128GB) or standard hard drives and a variety of colors, including garnet red, emerald green, onyx black, crystal white, and classic (matte) black, with matching accessories including a fitted leather case. More photos are after the jump.

New York native Dan Ackerman, a former radio DJ turned journalist, has written about technology and music for publications including Spin, Blender, The Hollywood Reporter, and USA Today. He hosts the weekly Digital City podcast and the New York edition of Editors' Office Hours. Dan's new album, Tales Out of Night School, is available now. E-mail Dan.

Sony takes on Flip Video, in Technicolor

Posted by Lori Grunin
Article published by http://ces.cnet.com/8300-19167_1-100.html?authorId=163

Sony does the minicamcorder in bright colors with a swivel lens.(Credit: Sony Electronics)
Now that Flip has created a market for cheap minicamcorders such as the MinoHD, Sony's decided to jump in with its own offerings, somewhat annoyingly nicknamed the Webbie HD models.

The vertical-style MHS-PM1 seems a better category fit than the MHS-CM1; though like many of its competitors it lacks an optical zoom, it has a nifty swivel lens mount. It records 1080p MPEG-4 video to Memory Stick Duo media at 1,440x1,080-pixel resolution, and shoots stills at a comparatively high resolution (5-megapixels). Also like many competitors, the software it ships with--Picture Motion Browser Portable--doesn't support the Mac.

You should be able to get it in March for $170.

JVC rolls out second-gen iPod-friendly TVs

Posted by John P. Falcone

Article published by: http://ces.cnet.com/8300-19167_1-100.html?authorId=185

The JVC LT-46P300(Credit: JVC)

In 2008, JVC became the first company to offer TVs with built-in iPod docks. For 2009, Panasonic is joining the fray with its own line of iPod-friendly TVs, but JVC is looking to defend its turf with a second generation of models. Among the array of purported feature improvements in the so-called TeleDock line for 2009. These TVs offer better iPod integration (multiple aspect ratios for iPod video playback; iPod charges whether TV is on or off; song and artist info displayed on TV during song playback; photo slide shows from iPod or USB drive can be displayed during music playback) as well as better integration with connected PCs (sync iTunes with a docked iPod via USB; powering up the PC will automatically activate the TV).

As for the TVs themselves, all are LCD models that support 1080p native resolution and control of the iPod from the TV remote. The line includes five models ranging in screen sizes from 32 to 46 inches: the LT-32P300 (32-inch screen); LT-42P300 (42 inches); LT-46P300 (46 inches); LT-42P500 (42 inches); and LT-46P500 (46 inches). The latter two P500 step-up models include "Clear Motion Drive III," JVC's iteration of 120Hz dejudder technology. The TeleDock TVs are scheduled to hit stores in April 2009, but pricing was not disclosed.

If the idea of having your iTunes content on your TV is appealing, just remember that you can achieve the same result on any TV for under $250 by connecting something like a DLO HomeDock HD or an Apple TV.

Charge your gadgets without a powercord

Posted by Wayne Cunningham

Article published by: http://ces.cnet.com/8300-19167_1-100.html?authorId=178

A cell phone and flashlight get charged sitting in this car console.(Credit: Leggett and Platt)

Imagine dropping your cell phone and MP3 player into a special pocket in the console of your car, and having them automatically charge up. Leggett and Platt, an automotive parts supplier, is using technology from Fulton Innovation that makes this scenario a reality. Fulton's ECouple technology lets devices charge up wirelessly, just by setting them down on a special charging surface. At CES, Leggett and Platt is showing various applications of this technology, including a car console with special pockets to recharge a BlackBerry and a flashlight. The company also has a Bosch power toolbox that automatically charges a wireless drill and saw.

This Bosch toolbox recharges the tools it holds.(Credit: Leggett and Platt)

Of course, the devices being charged need to have an ECouple element that can receive the power from a charging surface, so you can't currently throw any old device in and have it get charged up. But Leggett and Platt is already releasing some in-car power tool charging boxes for commercial use. The charging surfaces come in three power levels: low is for devices less than 5 watts, medium can handle 100 watt charging, and high power charging surfaces can produce kilowatts. These charging surfaces are harmless to touch, and a Leggett and Platt representative assured us there were no dangerous radiation levels.

You won't see this technology in consumer cars any time soon, but it does have promise, as long as device makers integrate the ECouple technology.

Originally posted at The Car Tech blog

ARTICLE FROM: http://news.cnet.com/8301-17938_105-9776900-1.html

Skype Coming To PSP.... True or False?

Read more at the publisher's website: http://blogs.zdnet.com/ip-telephony/?p=2990

Tony Smith of The Register notes that Sony is heralding what sounds like the imminent availability of Skype on PSP (PlayStation Portable).

“Call friends, talk trash to fellow gamers or catch up with acquaintances via Skype for PSP,” the PlayStation Portable site says.

Looks like a formal announcement may come down next week at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas.

Quick analysis: a win-win, mainly because up until now, the PSP audience and the Skype user base have not really overlapped all that much.

Oh, and maybe a competitive move against Wii?

Russell Shaw is an enterprise computing journalist, analyst and author based in Portland, Oregon. See his full profile and disclosure of his industry affiliations.

ARTICLE FROM: http://blogs.zdnet.com/ip-telephony/?p=2990

Your Input Is Needed!

Hey eager readers!

I need your help. I want to find the best bag/case that will carry all of the following items and i'd like to keep them neat and organized, not just tossed into a bottomless pit where plugs and cords turn into the dreaded X-mas lights knot.

I currently have cases for each of the following but I want something that will carry all of these items together.

1. Garmin GPS
2. BlackBerry 8830
3. BlackBerry Curve
4. Apple Ipod Nano 3rd Gen.
5. Apple Ipod Touch
6. PSP 3000
7. Canon Powershot SD750
8. PDA Cnvrt Keyboard
9. The FLIP
10. BOSE Headphones

So far, I have visited www.slappa.com, www.handhelditems.com, www.apple.com, www.dell.com, www.psp.com, www.canon.com, www.thecontainerstore.com, www.caselogic.com, www.staples.com, www.janemarvel.com, www.seejanework.com, www.rei.com.

2009 International Consumer Electronics Association Show

The world's largest consumer technology tradeshow is about to begin in Las Vegas. With 2,700 exhibitors across more than 1.7 million net square feet of space, CES is technology's annual big bang.

Visit here: http://www.cesweb.org/

Garmin Nuvi 250

Welcome to Wally World, people!

Ahhhhh (sigh).... as the thermometer hit 75 degrees outside, no snow to be found, Christmas tree dying (needles falling off it.. ping! ping! ping! as they hit the ground), lots of flashy gifts were calling our names.

You're very welcome for that visual I tried to depict of X-mas here in Columbia, South Carolina.

Anyway, I tore into a gift and realized that I was eyeballing a new Garmin Nuvi 250 GPS. SWEET!!!! God loves me and so does my stepdad! Bless us all!

Let me just say that this unit is awesome. For the moderate traveler, it's perfect. It's portable, efficient and very nifty. It's easy to sync on my laptop and you don't need to be a wizkid to figure out the protocol.

You can set numerous "Home" spots, restaurants, hotels, locations of interest, find gas stations, MALLS (gleeee for us girls), and for the nerds like me out there, you can even download different car icons. For instance, I scanned through and found the friggin National Lampoon's FAMILY TRUCKSTER!!!! NO LIE!!! If I had a grandma I would so swear on her life right now. Just because I didn't want anyone doubting me, I decided to toss y'all a picture for proof and some giggles.

If you're looking for a less expensive, truly capable GPS unit, I must insist that you give the Garmin Nuvi 250 a try. If you don't agree, hey, blast me here. I can take it!

Apple Ipod Nano 3rd Gen vs iTouch

I gave in and decided to upgrade my 3rd generation Nano to the new iTouch (8 gb).

What a difference!

I really think I should have chosen an iTouch with more memory since I currently have 1200 + songs in my library. Just the music alone filled up the majority of my space. I deleted some songs that I knew I'd never listen to again and made way for some very interesting applications.

Here's the thing....

The new iTouch connects to the best Internet plug surrounding you and it allows you to check e-mail from a variety of e-mail providers, it gives way to numerous free applications (Facebook, Twitter, MySpace, Weather, Yahoo Messenger, AIM, etc.). Too many to list. Also, the game bank is so vast that it seems everything is within reach or downloadable.

You can watch TV, movies, chit chat, browse the Internet, play games, EVERYTHING.

There are some options that are a 'pay only' option like Blogger, etc.; things that require more code and so forth. I didn't see where Plurk was an option or any of the Facebook games were available (PackRat, Yoville, etc.).

I would definitely opt for the new iTouch. I have found a new love thanks to my true love, my girlfriend. She keeps me in the loop and my addictions going strong!

JUMPING OFF POINT...

Hey my gadget groupies!

Welcome!

Let me know what you want me to review, yak about, etc.

If you just want me to shut up and let you talk then comment here and I'll make you part of the team.

It's just that easy.

So, game on!